


Jazz Waltz

by RembrandtsWife



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Christmas, Ice Skating, Inspired by Music, M/M, POV Outsider, Skating, figure skating, parenting, your offspring's significant other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 10:07:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8886823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RembrandtsWife/pseuds/RembrandtsWife
Summary: Jack's mother has never seen him skate with anybody like this.





	

Alicia Zimmermann had never seen her son skate with anybody.

Of course she had seen him play hundreds of games of hockey, from pick-up shinny with friends when he was little to a season with the NHL. She'd watched him practice with Kent Parson and hoped there was room for some genuine friendship in their friendly rivalry (knowing all the while that whatever relationship they had was much too intense to be just "friendly rivalry" or even a competitive friendship). She'd met Shitty Knight and watched them play together and thanked God her boy *did* have a real friend. Knight and the other boys on the Samwell team were good for her son.

She'd never seen him act the way he acted around Eric Bittle.

The boys had been enthusiastic about Bob's suggestion of skating at a public rink. As usual, Alicia had had enough after about thirty minutes on the ice. Bob had gone to get them some hot chocolate and, as usual, was delayed on his errand by fans who wanted to chat. Alicia had stopped minding her husband's popularity a long time ago. Right now, his absence gave her time to watch their son with the first person he'd ever been openly romantic about.

At the moment the two of them were circling the ice at a gentle pace, almost but not quite hand in hand. Jack had bought Eric the heavy quilted down jacket and bright plaid beanie and scarf he was wearing, but Eric had bought Jack new skates--skates like his own, meant for figure skating and not hockey. Jack was wearing them for the first time, which was why they were just drifting around the rink, talking and laughing together while he got used to wearing them. 

Eric was wearing a necklace over his scarf--a string of Christmas lights, battery-powered, that threw twinkling colors over his cheerful face. However, it was Jack who looked lit up to Alicia. Elbow to elbow with Eric Bittle, Jack moved loosely in his new skates, nodded while he listened, laughed out loud, then responded with what looked like a torrent of words. Her sweet boy, somber and silent so much of the time, burning with heat but no light on the ice, was practically shining with joy in the company of his tiny southern boyfriend.

It was more than Alicia had hoped, to be honest. She hadn't missed the way Jack looked at Eric (and Eric looked at Jack, oh my) on Jack's graduation day. She'd overheard what Bob said to their boy and seen the way Jack took off running. She still might not speak Quebecois very well, but she could damned well understand it. And she could read her son well enough not to be surprised when he told them he had feelings for a teammate and wanted to go visit him over the summer.

The tinny music at the rink changed to a somewhat clearer, better recording of the skating music from _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ , a sweet, lively jazz waltz. As if cued by the tune, Eric swung around in front of Jack, facing him, and drew him into a partner skate, a simple step in time with the music. By their third circuit together, the two boys were dancing a simple routine. It was as easy to imagine Eric as a figure skater as it was hard to imagine him playing hockey, until you saw him. As a hockey player he was stealthy and dazzlingly fast, but as a figure skater... he probably would have been just dazzling.

Bob was finally heading their way from the far end of the rink, a tray of hot drinks in hand. Jack let go of Eric and headed off the ice, pausing to look back as his boyfriend skated on without him. The rink was relatively clear at the moment; Eric was picking up speed, his small body strong and fluid even in the bulky jacket. Alicia wished she could see Jack's face as Eric accelerated into a jump, seemed to float in the cold dark air as he whirled, then came down into a perfect landing.

There was a scattering of applause as Eric glided toward Jack, arms still dramatically raised. Jack caught him, spun him around on the ice, and kissed him, no hesitation at all.

Alicia wiped her eyes and tried to tell herself it was just the December cold. Her boy was going to be all right.


End file.
